In general, enclosures have for years served many storage purposes, ranging from long-term or permanent storage which requires little or no access therewithin to short-term storage or storage where frequent access within the container is required. For example, one particular situation involves the use of electrical boxes and wireways, etc. Quite often an enclosure for electrical wiring may need little to no maintenance, and may even be sealed against outside air from entering the enclosure, thereby being of the long-term permanent storage type enclosure. On the other hand, other electrical boxes frequently have timers or clocks installed therein, and require frequent maintenance and inspections, thereby putting them in the class of enclosures which require frequent access therewithin.
Enclosures which require frequent access are often accompanied with some type of conventional quick-release latch or fastener so that the user may readily open the enclosure to inspect or maintain the contents therewithin. Long-term more permanent type enclosures often have the covers or doors thereto more permanently secured to the containers by means of screws which are not readily or easily opened. In fact, non-standard bolt head configurations are often used when a particular manufacturer is interested in keeping unauthorized individuals from accessing the interior of an enclosure.
There are also occasions where the contents of a more permanent type enclosure are modified so as to require more frequent access for inspection or maintenance purposes. Moreover, there are also times when enclosures containing items which need frequent inspection may be modified so that they no longer require such timely inspections. In fact, it is conceivable with today's technology that the contents within enclosures that require frequent maintenance may be replaced with newer technology which requires little to no maintenance. Thus, a quick release latch is no longer needed for such a box, and may be undesirable in view of the new contents which are to be enclosed therewithin.
With a conventional enclosure, the discussion above poses a particularly difficult problem, since a conventional enclosure which is designed to have the cover or door sealed to the enclosure by means of a screw or other more permanent fastener cannot be converted into an enclosure having a quick-release type fastener. Similarly, a conventional enclosure having a quick-release type fastener cannot be readily converted into an enclosure for more permanent storage. In order to convert one enclosure to another, it is necessary to purchase the entire enclosure which suits the needs that are required for a given situation.
Because of the problems posed with converting a conventional enclosure from one type to another, there has been a long felt need for a means of providing an enclosure having the versatility to function in both a longterm more permanent unattended situation, and in the situation where more frequent access to the interior of the enclosure is required. In other words, there is a need for a means for converting one type of enclosure into the other type of enclosure, and vice versa.
We have developed such a means for converting an enclosure designed for more permanent unattended storage into an enclosure where frequent access is readily available, and vice versa. We have found that there is a demand for a detachable fastener which can replace a conventional screw on a more permanent unattended enclosure to provide an enclosure where the interior is readily accessible when desired. Such a latch could be sold as an accessory or as part of the enclosure, thereby giving the purchaser the option of using the enclosure as a more permanent unattended type, or an enclosure which is more frequently opened.